Apparatus and method for cleaning an automotive automatic transmission

• US 6,112,855 A
• Filed: 06/02/1998
• Issued: 09/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc., MOC Products Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Wynn Oil Company (Parker-Hannifin Corporation)
• Inventors: Johnson, Dale, Sasaki, Mark, Camacho, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): FENSTERMACHER, DAVID MORGAN
• Application Number:
  US09/089,024
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: 184/1.5, 184/105.3, 285/12, 285/305, 285/308, 285/81, 285/84
• US Class Current: 184/1.5
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/0408 Exchange, draining or filling of transmission lubricant
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 37/0841 by means of a transversally slidable locking member surrounding the tube

Abstract

A machine and method for cleaning an automotive automatic transmission by effecting the discharge of old used fluid from the transmission and the simultaneous replacement of this old fluid with new fluid on an exchange basis. The machine includes a set of primary hoses, a set of intermediate hoses, and a set of plural pairs of complementary adapter fittings which in combination adapt the machine for convenient service of a wide variety of automobiles and their transmissions. The primary hoses, intermediate hoses, and adapters are configured to fit together in a wide variety of different ways. This variability or flexibility of connection for the machine allows a very limited number of primary hoses, intermediate hoses, and adapters to interface the machine flexibly with a wide variety of different transmissions, and the different vehicles in which these transmissions are installed; all in accord with possibly differing preferences of particular service technicians who use the machine.

Claims

1. A machine for service of an automatic transmission while the transmission is in an automotive vehicle, and which vehicle has an external circulation loop for circulation of transmission fluid external to the transmission, the external circulation loop having a vehicle coupling therein with two complementary parts coupled in fluid flow connection with one another to complete the external circulation loop, said machine being effective for use in interrupting the external circulation loop at the vehicle coupling where these complementary coupling parts are disconnected from one another, and to effect exchange of used transmission fluid from the transmission which used transmission fluid is received by said machine via one of the two complementary parts of the vehicle coupling and is replaced with new fluid supplied by said machine from a supply of new transmission fluid via the other of the two complementary parts of the vehicle coupling, said machine comprising:

a first fluid flow conduit adapted for connection to one of the complementary parts of the vehicle coupling and conducting used transmission fluid from the transmission to a waste container while the complementary parts of the vehicle coupling are uncoupled from one another, and a second fluid flow conduit adapted for connection to the other of the complementary parts of the vehicle coupling and conducting new transmission fluid from a source thereof into the transmission while the complementary parts of the vehicle coupling are uncoupled from one another;

said first fluid flow conduit and said second fluid flow conduit each including a respective one of a pair of elongate primary hoses, each one of said pair of primary hoses including at a distal end thereof a respective one of a pair of substantially identical first-disconnect coupling portions;

said first fluid flow conduit and said second fluid flow conduit each also including a respective one of an intermediate pair of hoses each one including at a proximal end thereof one of a respective pair of substantially identical second quick-disconnect coupling portions complementary to and interconnected with one of said pair of first quick-connect coupling portions, and at a distal end thereof each one of said intermediate pair of hoses having a respective one of a pair of substantially identical additional quick-disconnect coupling portions; and

a pair of adapters each one having a substantially identical first end portion complementary to and sealingly engaged with one of said pair of additional quick-disconnect coupling portions, and a second end portion providing one of a pair of complementary termination features;

which complementary termination features are adapted to be complementary to one another and are also adapted to be complementary each to a respective one of the one part and the other part of the vehicle coupling;

whereby said pair of adapters from a fluid flow connection both between said first conduit and said second conduit and also between opposite sides of the external fluid circulation loop of the transmission at disconnected parts of the vehicle coupling.

2. The machine of claim 1 wherein said machine includes four intermediate hoses each having a length, and any two of which may be selected to make said intermediate pair of hoses, said four intermediate hoses including a first pair of intermediate hoses each of which has said additional quick-disconnect coupling portion arranged in alignment with the length of said respective intermediate hose, and another pair of intermediate hoses each of which has a selected one of said second quick disconnect coupling portion and said additional quick-disconnect coupling portion arranged substantially perpendicularly to the length dimension of said respective intermediate hose.

3. The machine of claim 1 wherein said second end portions of said pair of adapters are complementary to one another.

4. The machine of claim 1 further including a set of plural adapters from which said pair of adapters is selected, said set of plural adapters including plural pairs of complementary adapters, each pair of which provides a differing complementary pair of second end portions.

5. A transmission cleaning machine for servicing an automotive automatic transmission while the transmission is in an automotive vehicle, and which automatic transmission and automotive vehicle includes an external transmission fluid circulation loop including a vehicle coupling with two complementary parts in fluid flow communication with one another, said transmission cleaning machine comprising:

a container for holding a supply of new automatic transmission fluid;

a first conduit and a second conduit for respectively receiving old automatic transmission fluid from the transmission and for delivering new automatic transmission fluid to the transmission via disconnected complementary parts of the vehicle coupling;

a pump receiving new automatic fluid from said container and supplying the new automatic transmission fluid pressurized via said second conduit to the external automatic transmission fluid circulation loop;

said machine further including a set of adapters adapted to be connected respectively with said first and said second conduits in fluid flow connection with the external fluid circulation loop at respective disconnected parts of the vehicle coupling, said set of adapters including plural pairs of adapters in which the individual adapters of each pair are complementary to one another, and one pair of said plural pairs of adapters is also complementary to and is adapted to be connected in fluid flow connection with the two complementary vehicle coupling parts;

whereby, the two complementary parts of the vehicle coupling are disengaged from one another to open the external fluid circulation loop, and said one pair of adapters is selected from among said plural pairs of adapters and is utilized to interconnect with the two parts of the vehicle coupling so that each individual adapter of the one pair of adapters connects one of said first conduit and said second conduit with a respective one of the two vehicle coupling parts.

6. The machine of claim 5 wherein said machine includes four intermediate hoses each having a length dimension, and any two of which may be selected to make said intermediate pair of hoses, said four intermediate hoses including a first pair of intermediate hoses each of which has said additional quick-disconnect coupling portion arranged in alignment with the length dimension of said respective intermediate hose, and another pair of intermediate hoses each of which has said additional quick-disconnect coupling portion arranged substantially perpendicularly to the length dimension of said respective intermediate hose.

7. A method of changing old transmission fluid out of an automotive automatic transmission on an exchange basis for new fluid simultaneously introduced to the transmission as old fluid is discharged therefrom while the transmission is installed in an automotive vehicle, the automatic transmission having an external fluid circulation loop including a vehicle coupling with two complementary parts in fluid flow connection with one another, said method comprising steps of:

providing a machine having a conduit for conducting automatic transmission fluid from the external circulation loop to a waste receptacle;

providing a supply of new transmission fluid;

providing a pair of elongate primary hoses, opening the fluid circulation loop at the vehicle coupling by disconnecting the two complementary parts of the vehicle coupling, and connecting a respective one of said primary hoses each to a respective one side of the opened fluid circulation loop each at a respective disconnected one of the two complementary parts of the vehicle coupling;

defining a respective portion of said first conduit and of said conduit each at respective distal ends thereof by use of a respective pair of substantially identical first quick-disconnected coupling portions;

providing an intermediate pair of hoses each one including at a proximal end thereof one of a pair of substantially identical second quick-disconnect coupling portions complementary to said first quick-disconnect coupling portions and connecting in fluid flow connection with said first quick-disconnect coupling portions, and at a distal end thereof each having a respective one of pair substantially identical additional quick-disconnect coupling portions; and

supplying a pair of adapters each having a substantially identical first end portion complementary to and sealingly engaged with one of said pair of additional quick-disconnect coupling portions, and also having a second end portion adapted to provide a termination feature complementary to and connecting in fluid flow connection to a respective one of the disconnected parts of the vehicle coupling of the external fluid circulation loop of the vehicle.

8. The method of claim 7 further including the step of:

providing a set of adapters each for use with differing vehicles for connecting the machine at said first and said second conduits in fluid flow communication with external fluid circulation loops of the respective vehicles at respective parts of a coupling thereof, said set of adapters including plural pairs of adapters in which the individual adapters of each pair are complementary to one another.

9. The method of claim 8 including the step of providing one pair of adapters which at said end termination portion is complementary to a hose.

10. The method of claim 8 including the step of providing one pair of adapters at said end termination portion is complementary to a pipe thread.

11. The method of claim 8 including the step of providing one pair of adapters at said end termination portion is complementary to a flare tube fitting.

12. The method of claim 8 including the step of providing one pair of adapters at said end termination portion is complementary to an O-ring fitting.

13. The method of claim 8 including the step of providing one pair of adapters at said end termination portion is complementary to a reversed flare tube fitting.

14. In combination, a machine for service of an automatic transmission in an automotive vehicle, which vehicle has an external circulation loop for transmission fluid, the loop having a vehicle coupling therein with two complementary parts connecting in fluid flow connection, and a set of plural pairs of adapters for interfacing said machine with each of the two complementary parts of the vehicle coupling when the parts of the vehicle coupling are disconnected from one another;

said machine and a selected one pair of said plural pairs of adapters being affective for use in interrupting the external fluid flow loop by disconnection of the complementary adapters of the selected one pair of adapters, and to effect exchange of used transmission fluid from the transmission with new fluid from a supply thereof, said machine comprising;

a first fluid flow conduit for conducting used transmission fluid from the transmission via one of the complementary parts of the vehicle coupling and one of the selected one pair of adapters to a waste container, and a second fluid flow conduit for conduit for conducting new transmission fluid from a source thereof via the other of the complementary parts of the vehicle coupling and the other of the selected one pair of adapters into the transmission;

a pair of elongate primary hoses, each one of said pair of primary hoses defining a portion of a respective one of said first conduit and of said second conduit, each one of said pair of primary hoses including at a distal end thereof a respective one of a pair of substantially identical fir quick-disconnect coupling portions;

an intermediate pair of hoses, each one of said intermediate pair of hoses including at a proximal end thereof one of a respective pair of substantially identical second quick-disconnect coupling portions complementary to said first quick-disconnect coupling portions, and at a distal end thereof each one of said intermediate pair of hoses having a respective one of a pair of substantially identical additional quick-disconnect coupling portions; and

said plural pairs of adapters each having a substantially identical first end portion complementary to and sealingly engageable with one of said pair of additional quick-disconnect coupling portions, and a second end portion adapted to be complementary both to each other and also each being adapted to be complementary to and connecting in fluid flow connection to one part of the vehicle coupling.

15. The combination of claim 14 wherein one pair of said plural pairs of adapters includes end termination portions which are complementary to a hose.

16. The combination of claim 14 wherein one pair of said plural pairs of adapters includes end termination portions which are complementary to a pipe thread.

17. The combination of claim 14 wherein one pair of said plural pairs of adapters includes end termination portions which are complementary to a flare tube fitting.

18. The combination of claim 14 wherein one pair of said plural pairs of adapters includes end termination portions which are complementary to an O-ring fitting.

19. The combination of claim 14 wherein one pair of said plural pairs of adapters includes end termination portions which are complementary to a reversed flare tube fitting.

20. A set of adapters for use to connect a transmission service machine and any one of a multitude of differing vehicles each having an automatic transmission to be serviced by use of the machine, the one vehicle having a fluid circulation loop in which transmission fluid flows during operation of the vehicle, and the fluid circulation loop including at least one vehicle coupling, each at least one vehicle coupling including two complementary vehicle coupling parts;

and set of adapters comprising;

plural pairs of adapters, each adapter part of a pair being adapted for connecting the transmission service machine in fluid flow connection with respective complementary parts of a vehicle coupling when the two complementary parts of the vehicle coupling are disconnected from one anther;

each pair of said plural pairs of adapters including two adapter parts, each adapter part at a respective first end termination portion being complementary to the other adapter part of the pair and to one part of the disconnected vehicle coupling, and each adapter part of also including a second and termination portion, which second end termination portion is substantially similar to respective individual second end termination portions of each adapter part of said plural pairs of adapters, and said second end termination portion being configured to connect in fluid flow connection with a quick-disconnect coupling.